When was the last time you sent someone a handwritten note? Can’t remember? I thought so.
When we can type at lightning speed and send messages in a nanosecond, who needs handwriting? As it turns out, we all do. Handwriting shows people we care about them, makes us think more carefully about what we write, and proves that AI didn’t compose our letter. Moreover, brain research shows that handwriting builds connections in the brain that cannot be accessed by typing.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the first personal letter on record was written by a man called Arrianus to his brother 2,000 years ago under Roman rule. The content would be familiar to us today – comments on friends and family, inquiries about his brother’s wellbeing, and topical chat. From that ancient beginning, the art of letter-writing bloomed, reaching its apex in the 18th century, when gentlemen and ladies penned long, thoughtful letters to one another (think Jane Austen).
With the advent of the typewriter, handwritten letters became less common, although many people still wrote social and personal letters by hand. Fast forward to the 21st century, when handwriting began to seem like an anachronism. Schools’ recent abandonment of cursive writing signals the establishment’s assumption that typing is the way of the future.
However, there are benefits to writing by hand, especially when writing to someone we feel close to – or someone with whom we seek a closer relationship. Research and common sense indicate that we should rethink capitulating to the allure of nimble-fingered digital communication.
Here are three reasons why, the next time you want to convey a personalized, important message, you dig your fountain pen out of the box it’s been sitting in since high school, pull out a notecard or clean piece of paper, and start writing.
Writing by hand shows that you care.
Handwriting requires more time and effort than typing. Your readers know this; they appreciate that you cared enough to put the extra effort into reaching out to them. I recently sent a handwritten holiday card to an important client. A week later, I received a beautiful handwritten card from her, and she said how much she appreciated receiving a handwritten card. That card cemented me into her memory in a way that a holiday greeting by email could never do.
2. Handwriting makes you think more about what you write.
Who among us has not dashed off an email to a key business contact, only to read it later and rue our rush? When you write by hand, you have to slow down. You see every word as it emerges from your pen. You may even write out a full draft before you copy it into your card. While handwriting will not entirely protect you from writing something you’ll regret, it makes you more conscious of your words.
3. Handwriting proves your message was not written by AI.
AI-composed writing is everywhere. When we read emails and articles today, we might be hard-pressed to know whether the document was written by a human or a machine. When you write by hand, your reader knows the message came from a living, breathing human, who put the effort into communicating, rather than outsourcing your relationship to an algorithm.
All these reasons speak in favor of writing by hand, but there is more. When we write with a pen or pencil, our brains process information more effectively. Research indicates that students who take notes by hand understand and retain lessons better than their iPad-toting peers. Writing by hand truly engages us in the communication process – something many of us rarely experience.
So if you’re thinking of sending a Valentine or love letter, write it by hand. If you want to show a customer you appreciate their business, send a handwritten thank you.
The rarity of handwritten letters makes them stand out from the email onslaught that barrages people every day.
P.S. This Writamin was written by hand with a favorite fountain pen while sitting in a cafe in Venice, California. Ah, the bliss of being away from a computer.